Hole Guard Bolt Fastening for Damaged and Oversized Holes
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing bolt fastening structures struggle to securely fasten equipment to grating plates or steel pads with holes of various sizes, including large, elongated, or damaged holes, without requiring significant adjustments to the lower structure.
Innovation Solution
A bolt fastening structure using a hole guard, which includes a lower structure with holes, a hole guard inserted and secured into the hole, a T-bolt or L-bolt with a vertical and horizontal part, and a ring-shaped anti-falling washer to prevent the bolt from falling. The hole guard has a support part, a hole insertion part, and a bolt hole to accommodate the bolt, allowing for secure fastening even on structures with non-standard hole sizes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If standard bolts are used to fasten equipment to grating plates, then fastening is simple, but it is impossible to fit various hole sizes including large, elongated, or damaged holes
Solution Approach 1:
The hole guard acts as an intermediary component inserted into the hole of the lower structure. It provides a standardized interface for the T-bolt to engage with, while adapting to various hole sizes and shapes in the grating plate. This mediator resolves the contradiction by allowing standard T-bolts to work with non-standard holes without modifying the original structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The fastening system is divided into separate functional components: the hole guard (adapted to the hole), the T-bolt (standardized fastening element), and the anti-falling washer (safety component). This segmentation allows each component to be optimized independently - the hole guard handles adaptability to various hole sizes, while the T-bolt maintains standardization.
2Strength
If brackets are used to fasten equipment to grating plates, then fastening strength is improved, but worker safety deteriorates due to the need for manual assistance underneath the grating plates
Solution Approach 1:
The T-bolt is designed to be self-installing from above the grating plate. The lower horizontal part engages with the hole guard and locks into position without requiring anyone underneath the grating plate to assist. This eliminates the safety hazard while maintaining strong fastening capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The anti-falling washer is pre-installed on the T-bolt before insertion. This preliminary action ensures that the bolt cannot fall through the grating plate during installation or operation, preventing accidents before they can occur and eliminating the need for safety monitoring from below.
3Ease of manufacture
If the holes in grating plates are damaged or irregular, then the original fastening function is lost, but replacing the entire grating plate is costly and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of replacing the entire grating plate when holes are damaged, the invention extracts only the hole guard component. The hole guard is removed, replaced, or adjusted while the rest of the grating plate remains in service. This selective replacement maintains fastening reliability while significantly reducing cost and downtime.
Solution Approach 2:
The hole guard can be manufactured with different parameters (sizes, shapes) to match various hole conditions. By changing the parameters of the hole guard rather than the entire grating plate, the system adapts to damaged or irregular holes efficiently.
4Stability of the object's composition
If grating plates are installed at specific heights in a shelf-like structure, then structural stability is improved, but installation efficiency deteriorates due to the need for manual assistance underneath
Solution Approach 1:
The self-installing T-bolt with anti-falling washer enables single-person installation from above the grating plate. The bolt self-locks into the hole guard and cannot fall through, eliminating the need for a second worker underneath to assist or monitor safety during installation.
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed is a bolt fastening structure using a hole guard that can be mounted on holes of various sizes. Since the bolt is fastened to the hole guard already mounted on a lower structure, it is possible to fasten the bolt to a steel pad having large holes or elongated holes or a grating plate where the holes have been damaged and the sizes of the holes are inconsistent. Moreover, by forming a locking groove, into which a lower horizontal part of the bolt is inserted, or a protruding groove and a protrusion for rotation and fixation of the lower horizontal part on the lower surface of the hole guard, both the fixed and pivoting types of the lower horizontal part can be secured upright to the hole guard.